Gettysburg 1st Day

[Desert Fox]

Pretty simple.

As the Union. Is there any advantage to holding the three ridges west of town or should I withdraw to Cemetery Hill?

I've got the rebs almost destroyed in the west, just north of Oak Ridge, but there are several enemy brigades moving south to the north and east of town. I can still orderly fall-back to the positions south of town. Should I?

Thanks.

This is a campaign. The deployment claimed the Confederates only have 57k. Is that true for the whole battle? Or just day 1?

[Koro]

The 57k is just for day 1. I dont think there is anywhere, where you get to see all of their numbers before the end due to the way it's chopped up.
There is no benefit other than you might be able to use the ground to chop them up nicely. So it's all up to you how you want to play it.

[CrashToDesktop]

Just as a general rule for all battles, the numbers shown on the pre-deployment screen are the numbers for only the troops that can be engaged on the first day of battle.

[Wright29]

Seminary Ridge is fantastic ground for dealing massive damage to any Confederate forces attacking from the west. When you get flanked at Oak ridge, it can be less profitable ground. But if you're able to maintain that position, you will eventually slaughter all the forces attacking from the west.

[Desert Fox]

Turned out I needed to rush a few brigades back to Cemetery. Ewell's Corp rushed right to it and that's instant game over!

I tried doing half and half, but it was too costly in manpower. Ended up pulling an orderly withdrawl and broke them apart as they assaulted my fortified positions.

Thanks for the help.

[mhenry_101381]

Originally posted by Desert Fox:

Turned out I needed to rush a few brigades back to Cemetery. Ewell's Corp rushed right to it and that's instant game over!

I tried doing half and half, but it was too costly in manpower. Ended up pulling an orderly withdrawl and broke them apart as they assaulted my fortified positions.

Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the insight, I am about to attempt Gettysburg for the first time. I have a feeling my tactics from UG:G won't work here. I have managed a day 1 victory with the Union on that game, I plan on firing the first volley and hauling ass to Oak Ridge then chew them up a bit then haul ass to Cemetary Hill/Ridge. I may make a stand at the city to further cut them down before Ewell shows up.

[Wright29]

The city is extremely good terrain to defend. It was pretty good in ugg but now you can defend there until the end of the scenario.

[m4rt14n]

You can decimate their numbers pretty fast when you hold the ridges while flanking with skirmishes and/or detached skirmishes. I usually just put 3 brigades that comes later to hold the city.

[Desert Fox]

I tried holding the ridge. The iron brigade swept their arty off, but I only had 20k men left. They were fielding 27k by then and I had to prioritize cemetery.

The play in the west is over by the time the map opens up. Unless you are playing a smaller enemy force, the rebs tend to find a way to slip by.

I tried using my brigades to race Ewell, but by the time my cavalry couldn't stop them anymore my forces were seriously slowed in the town proper. He beat me there.

[m4rt14n]

Originally posted by Desert Fox:

I tried holding the ridge. The iron brigade swept their arty off, but I only had 20k men left. They were fielding 27k by then and I had to prioritize cemetery.

The play in the west is over by the time the map opens up. Unless you are playing a smaller enemy force, the rebs tend to find a way to slip by.

I tried using my brigades to race Ewell, but by the time my cavalry couldn't stop them anymore my forces were seriously slowed in the town proper. He beat me there.

The key is to delay them as long as possible from occupying the northen ridge with the woods. You need to use Buford's men to hold the river. When they push, flank them from the north, and south (from the small woods). From each of your brigades that come in to the map, detach skirmishes and run 2-3 brigades up to hold the northern ridge.

If they get distracted enough, you can barely squeeze one brigade in to fortify the northern ridge. Later on, you can wheel more brigades on a flanking attack from the south. I found it much easier than having them surround me from all sides of cemetery ridge.

[mhenry_101381]

I couldn't hold any ridge and fell back to the city with my last units holding Cemetary Hill and everyone else in the city. The attack on the Round Tops was Longstreet's entire attack vs 3 Brigades and 1 battery of about 20 Napoleons on Big Round Top. "Ass Whuppin" couldn't describe that one. Took a break because the next attack is on Culp''s Hill. Will see what happens.

[Desert Fox]

It was especially difficult in the beginning. With Buford's men I held until the first elements of my infantry had just reached Oak Ridge. There were over 13k Confederates in the first attack wave.

I watched a let's play my Magnus or somebody where he only faced a few thousand enemy soldiers. Mine was not so easy.

Pettigrew's 3k man brigade was on the map with the rest of Heath and Pender during the first CSA deployment. I managed to hold them back as long as my few hundred skirmishers could, but most evaporated as thousands of shots burst into their ranks.

By the time I had my entire daily contingent on the field, the enemy was fielding over 14k fresh troops to my 8k. I fought an amazing battle, but chose to yield to frantic reports of enemy threatening to envelope me and seize the more valuable high-ground.

Nothing is more boring than having nobody to fight during some of the most pivotal moments in the war.

Imagine Chamberlain with 1000 men, 7k other men backing him up and a battery of 16 Howitzers to blast a few thousand Confederates charging the little round top! No MoH was earned here. Especially when 30k more federals came onto the field to pull a reverse-Longstreet and roll up the rebel-right.

[dloeb]

I typically have the last 4 brigades of infantry defend a line that runs along the north side of the town with two in the town and one on each side.

Holding oak ridge is very important. I sprint the first reinforcements so they can get into the trees.

Hardest part of this strategy is making sure not to get rolled down the ridge from the north. Also detach enough skirmishers so they can't slip through on the south end of the ridge line.

[mhenry_101381]

Originally posted by dloeb:

I typically have the last 4 brigades of infantry defend a line that runs along the north side of the town with two in the town and one on each side.

Holding oak ridge is very important. I sprint the first reinforcements so they can get into the trees.

Hardest part of this strategy is making sure not to get rolled down the ridge from the north. Also detach enough skirmishers so they can't slip through on the south end of the ridge line.

I held the ridges long enough until the city became available to hold and let them come until the day ended. I kept my last troops at Cemetary Hill to hold the point. If I was pushed off the ridge, who cares, the city was right there. Too costly to retake.

[Aurion]

Depends. Do you need to buy time?

If you need time for more reinforcements, a delaying action is viable. If you can stop the Confederates cold at Cemetery Hill, you don't.